Page 174 of Ink Me Three Times
Penny nods enthusiastically, looking very pleased with herself. Then she looks at Lucy, her other little sister. “Lucy’s nice. But... what if she was Princess Lucy? Or Super Lucy?”
“That sounds good to me,” I say, smiling at her. “But I think Lucy’s just perfect on her own, don’t you?”
Penny nods with a smile, satisfied with the decision. “Okay, fine. Lucy it is.”
Ivy glances over at me, her face glowing with exhaustion and relief. “I think Penny’s the real boss around here.”
I’m still in awe. It’s all so surreal, the way we’ve ended up here, in this moment, as a family. Three babies, a rambunctious toddler, and the men who love Ivy in all the ways she never expected.
But as I look at the little family we’ve created, something else sinks in, heavy and undeniable. There’s a thought that’s been lingering at the back of my mind ever since the birth: We need to plan the wedding. And we need to do it soon.
I turn my head and catch Mitchell’s eyes. He’s holding one of the babies now too, his fingers brushing the tiny cheek with a tenderness that almost makes me lose my breath. But there’s something in his gaze, determined and clear. We’re all on the same page here.
I glance at Freddie, who’s standing beside Ivy, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. He looks peaceful, content. But I can see the same thought crossing his mind too, behind the smile.
“We can’t wait any longer,” I murmur, my voice low but firm.
Mitchell looks up from the baby in his arms, a quiet understanding in his eyes. “I know,” he says, his voice soft but resolute. “It’s time.”
Freddie steps closer, nodding in agreement. “Ivy deserves it,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “She deserves to be our wife. And we deserve to make it official. All of us.”
Ivy looks between us, the realization slowly dawning on her face. She blinks up at us, her lips curling into a tired, but genuine smile. “You’re really going to put a ring on this?” she teases lightly, but there’s no mistaking the warmth in her eyes. “Once and for all?”
“Absolutely,” I say, stepping forward, my hand reaching for hers. “We’re not letting you get away now, Ivy. This family’s ours. And we’re going to make it official.”
Her eyes soften as she looks at us. She looks between all three of us, her smile widening as she carefully shifts the babies into her arms. “Okay,” she says quietly, a little breathless, “I guess it’s about time.”
The world outside the house might still be chaotic, might still be filled with gossip and whispers, but here, inside these walls, there’s peace. There’s love.
And with that thought, I feel my chest swell with a sense of purpose I’ve never had before.
We’re not just going to keep stumbling through life. We’re going to build this family together. And we’re going to make it the kind of love story that survives everything.
I look down at the tiny face of my daughter, Mia, her eyes flickering open. Then to Lucy, then Max.
Yeah, this is it.
The future finally feels real. And it’s ours for the taking.
Epilogue
IVY
The sun’sslipping down behind the trees, casting long shadows across the yard as I settle into the porch swing.
I inhale deeply, letting the crisp autumn air fill my lungs, the scent of wood smoke and pine mingling in the breeze. The kind of air that settles into your bones, making everything feel quieter, slower, like time’s moving at a pace I can actually follow for once.
The babies are finally asleep inside, the house eerily quiet in the best way possible. Mia, Lucy, and Max are all tucked in for the night, their tiny little bodies a world away from the chaos of the past few weeks.
I watch the world outside shift from daylight to twilight, the colors of the sky bleeding into the trees, and I just… breathe.
Pickle’s at my feet, his lazy snore the only sound besides the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. I reach down to scratch behind his ears, my mind wandering to places I don’t usually let it go. This life. This home.
It belongs to me now, and I’m not sure when that changed.
But I think I’m starting to realize it’s been changing for a while.
The soft purr of an engine reaches my ears just as a car swings into my driveway. My heart sings as Olivia steps out of the car, hauling a huge bag out of her back seat.
